Oh, and what about the mess ? ????
“2021” has held a lot of life changes for my family. One of those changes have included much added travel!
Here are a few child (and some adult) travel tips I’ve quickly learned over the past 5 months.
So far, one of my biggest mess reducing tips for travel, starts before the trip begins! That would be to…
#1
Prepare your car before each trip!
If you don’t have time for a deep car clean, at least, empty out any unnecessary items, dump all trash, and if possible, do a quick rug shake & spot vacuum.
Starting with a clean slate (or car ????) sets you “on the road for success” ????
#2
Pack walmart bags or a small can for trash containment between stops.
#3
Have a plan to contain travel toys. An example would be a toy bag/ back pack for each child or a fabric bin in the middle seat. (Personally, I just use the front seat pockets)
(See my Dollar Tree book light (batterie included ????), I have these hooked on seats for nighttime travel, they are bright enough for the kids or me to see but not blinding to driver!)
#4
This is not a a visual clean up tip, but I do recommend keeping a seat protector under child car seats. This is a great way to protect vehicle seats from potty accidents and snack stains .
It also makes clean up at the end of trip so much easier.
When your trip is over, you simply shake out waterproof cloth and wash, if needed.
(This is not a travel only tip, I use fabric liners @ all times for easier car maintenance)
You can purchase custom made seat liners from places like Walmart or Amazon.com. I, myself, prefer these ‘all purpose’ water proof liners from the Wallmart baby department.
They are cheap and work amazing. I fold mine in half and tuck the extra fabric tightly underneath seats, like these below.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Waterproof-Portable-Crib-Pads-2-Pack/5446849
These are also great for sparing sheets during potty training or to help with diaper leak problems, I even used them to sponge bath my newborns on my own bed!).
The fabric is so soft, machine washable, yet still water proof inside. Perfect for so many uses.
#5
My last tip for travel mess control leads into snack tips and that would be to make use of your stops.
A few things I recommend including at each and every road stop are:
–A trash dump
( it only takes a minute to dump your trash bag or can. And look for any other trash laying around)
–A quick car pick up (toys in bin etc)
(Again, this only takes a minute! Get your kids involved in these “road stop activities”. You will feel so much better when you start back out.
– This is also a great time to wash out
any used cups & refill all drinks.
–Retrieve any items wanted from cooler.
–Fill gas tank (yes, we like to make a nice gas station or truck stop our stopping grounds, this allows my husband to fill the tank while I work on other things. Killing 2 (or line 5) birds with one stone!
–Eat or prepare lunch for the road, if
needed.
——————————————————
– Packing Snacks –
There are 3x things I use in packing travel foods. Snack bags, thermal lunch box, and thermoses.
#1 snack bag(s)
With my children so young I usually pack one good size “snack bag” wich is a reusable grocery bag, containing many options of my family’s favorite snacks.
Many of these are proportioned into single serving sandwiches bags.
I also store some of the healthier (unlimited options) in quart size baggies to pass out at will.
In this “snack bag” I bring 2x plastic cups wich is what my children eat snacks from.
Anytime they are hungry, I prepare a mixture of snacks in a cup and pass back.
Why a cup?
The cup is easy for my little ones to hold onto.
It also encourages them to set it in the cup holder verses dumping the sandwich bags in the floor between each bite & playtime.
Lastly I don’t have to worry about my one year old eating the plastic baggies behind my back !
When snack time is done, the cups can be disposed into trash bin, or as I prefer, handed back to me and kept for the next snack time .
Another snack bag option for older kids or adults would be to pack small individual snack bags, each containing that person’s personal snack faves for the trip. Brown paper bags, or individual lunch boxes would work great for this.
Ideally, each person would keep their snacks by them with their personal items.
#2 Thermal lunch bag or cooler
I always include a way to pack items like sandwiches or cooled bottles of water.
If you don’t have a lot of space for a cooler in your trunk, consider picking up or borrowing a simple lunch box. They make them in many sizes and styles now days, adaptable to many needs.
Even if you wish to eat out , It’s much cheaper and even a time saver to at least pack your own drinks than to purchase them at every gas station. (The same goes for meals or snacks) plus, it’s a time saver to have everything already by on hand!
#3 Thermal cups & thermoses
Lastly as you may recall from last “Tuesday’s Tidbit”, I LOVE to use thermoses!
You can use them to keep fruit or veggie snacks extra cold.
I also love my pourable thermos to refill milk for my “baby” at nap time.
And don’t forget your favorite thermal cup! (You know, the one that fits in your cup holder and keeps that drink
SO COLD!)
———————————————————
– The potty problem –
Maybe potty breaks isn’t really part of the “snack or mess” category of traveling, but let’s face it … it’s definitely pretty close to both.
It’s the result of one, (the snacks) and one step from the other (accidents happen!) ???? either way here’s my 3x potty tips!
# 1 Limit drinking
Let’s make this straight, I do not encourage dehydrating your children!
But, if your child is a huge drinker (like mine) then cutting back drink amounts a tad, for just a few hours won’t hurt a bit.
A good rule of thumb I have used is to “never deny your child a drink when thirsty, but give them a sip or two instead of an entire cup to gulp down at once.”
This makes sure they are only drinking when they are truly thirsty and not
‘just because”.
Don’t think this idea is only for kids! I limit my own fluid intake on trips, and yes, I notice a huge difference in potty breaks!
#2 Ditch the water
Ok so this tip could be very controversial. I usually would encourage water drinking by %100 percent! I’ve always wanted to be a water lover and I’m trying my best to instill in my children to drink it daily .
But.. travel days is my exception. Yes, we drink some water but here lately, I’ve been trying to stay more with milk, juice, and diet drinks. They dont seem to run through everyone’s bladders near as quickly. Wich means less emergency bathroom & diaper stops!
#3 Plan for stops
Let’s face it , when traveling with kids, and even some adults. You really need to stop every little bit. Don’t kill yourself trying to make it as far as you can, instead try planning for a few stops in your travel time.
The key here is to make true use of each of those stops!
As mentioned before, if you will take the time at these planned stops, to cover everything, you will be more apt to skip emergency stops ahead.
Each time you need to make a stop be sure everyone goes potty!!
Also, don’t forget to change all diapers. You will be so glad you did 30 min down the road when you’re able to drive on past that rest stop!
I realize everyone’s needs and travels look different. I am just using my experience to show you how making use of your planned stops can benefit you and even prevent explosive diapers ????. Seriously, I’ve learned the hard way, know matter if it’s just a little wet, go ahead and change it while stopped ! If you don’t, by the time everyone needs to stop next time, may be to late. Lol
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Thanks for reading!
-A Simpler Life-
Links:
Crib pads (used under car seats)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Waterproof-Portable-Crib-Pads-2-Pack/5446849
